Troublesome chads now available in sterling silver

NEW YORK (Reuters) - On the 13th day of Christmas my true love gave to me -- 13 hanging chads?

To cadge from "Casablanca," a chad is not always just a chad, or even a vote for that matter. Not when it comes in the form of a $125 pendant.

Just in time for the holidays, a company called Enjewel which sells jewelry and watches on the Internet has teamed up with designer Thomas Kurilla to produce a line of jewelry "in honor of Election 2000".

Designs, all in sterling silver, include a butterfly ballot with hanging chad pendant for $125, pregnant chad cuff links for $100 and dimpled chad earrings, also $100.

Chads are the now-notorious bits of paper that often fail to detach from punch-card voter ballots and which have bedeviled Florida election officials, as well as presidential candidates Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore, landing the whole election in the courts.

Tweaking the state's voters for their seeming inability to mark a ballot clearly, Enjewel is also offering a special 15 percent discount "to all Florida residents if they can fill out the order form correctly," adding: "It's as easy a punching a ballot. Well actually, easier."

The jewelry, being sold only on the Web at www.enjewel.com, went on sale on Tuesday. A spokeswoman said sales had been strong, with most interest coming from the East Coast.

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